Coal mining machine



June 4, 1940. Q PORTER 2,202,962

COAL MINING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 l I I l L Inventor COAL MINING MACHINE I Filed June 28, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 N g *r t S vnvng N 0 N z N 4 N 0 1 N I w fa I x Inventor 0.1Parier A tiorneys June 4, 1940. om- 2,202,962

COAL MINING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 B ml M 14m A itorneys Jl'lne 1940- 0. T. PORTER COAL MINING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ll l-I l- JII Inventor ml 12M, A iiotneys 1940. o. T. PORTER COAL MINING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I V e I M 1 x w \& I 3 Q i 1 l N Q, a N W a Inventor R 0. 7? oriar Attorneys Patented June 4, 1940 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a coal mining machine, and has for the primary objectv the pro- Vision of a portable and compact power driven device of this character, wherein endless type cutters are employed and which may be readily brought into several different cutting positions, either from opposite ends of the device or from the front of said device which will permit cuts to be made in the front wall of a mine room or the side walls thereof and also at variable elevations between the ceiling and floor of the mine room.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means whereby the bits of the endless cutters will receive a substantially constant sharpening during the cutting operation so that said bits will be maintained in efficient cutting condition at all times and eliminates the practice of discontinuing the use of the machine while the bits are removed and sharpened as is customary in the conventional mining machine.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of means whereby the endless cutters maybe readily brought into a complete housed position within the device, permitting the latter to be readily moved about within a comparatively small space and eliminate the possibility of injury to the miners by falling or tripping over the cutters while the machine is in non-use.

' With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimedr M For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view illustrating a coal mining machine constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the several positions that the cutters may occupy for cutting into the walls of a mine room.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1 showing the machine in operation wherein a cut is being made in the front wall of a mine room and in close vicinity to the floor of the room. I

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view showing oneof the endless cutters in operation;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the machine inserted to permit cutting in the wall of a mining room at variable elevations'between the ceiling and floor of said room.

1 Figure 5 is a detail sectional view talgen on the line 5-5 of Figure 3 illustrating the sharpening means.

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the sharpening element.

Figure '7 is a detail sectional view taken on the line of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the means of attaching the bit of one of the cutters to the endless sprocket chain thereof.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view showing means of permitting the drive between the power source and either of said cutters to be interrupted when desired.

Figure 10 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating a clutch between the drive shaft of the machine and a cable drum.

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken on the line ll|l of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a detail sectional view taken on the line I2l2 of Figure 10.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating a portion of one of the cutters and showing the staggering of the bits thereof relative to each other.

Figure 14 is a perspective view illustrating one of the bits.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral 5 indicates a bed or supporting structure, consisting of superimposed spaced plates 6 tied together by spacers 1. One of said plates has its end slightly curved upwardly, as indicated at 8, to prevent said plate from digging or catching into the ground when the device is resting on said plate, or in other words, the latter-named plate acts as a runner for the device when being employed to make cuts in the walls of a mining room in close proximity to the floor. The other plate has secured thereto tubular housings 9 internally screw threaded to receive screw threaded legs H! on which are journaled rollers II. The legs 10 may be threaded inwardly and outwardly of the tubular housing for the purpose of supporting the bed at various elevations from the floor of the mining room. Arranged between the latter-named plate of the bed and the tubular housings 9 are braces 12. Also threaded on the legs are lock nuts 13 which may be brought into engagement with the tubular housings for locking the legs in various adjusted positions.

It is to be understood that the bed may be arranged to rest on the floor of the mining room either as shown in Figure 2'or in Figure 4 and when employed as shown in the latter-named figure it is possible .to make cuts in the walls of the room at various elevations between the floor and ceiling and while being employed as shown in Figure 2 will permit cuts to be made in the walls in close proximity to the floor of the room which has a very distinct advantage over other mining machines in that the latter cannot be adjusted to operate in an extremely close relation to the floor.

As will be seen by referring to Figure 1, the machine employs a pair of endless type cutters i4 mounted on the bed adjacent the ends thereof and also laterally of each other with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bed. The cutters I4 are capable of adjustment with respect to the bed so that they may be positioned to extend from opposite ends of the bed or from the front of the bed, as clearly indicated in Figure l. The specific construction of the cutters is the same and in the following a detailed description will be given which is applicable to either cutter.

Each cutter consists of an elongated cutter head l5 of channeled construction and is mounted on a turntable l6 journaled on the bed between the plates thereof. A shaft ll forms a journal for the ttuntable and is journaled in the plates of the bed and has secured thereon a sprocket gear l8 located at one end of the cutter head 15. And endless sprocket chain 19 is mounted for travel in the channeled cutter head and is trained over the sprocket gear I8 and is driven thereby. The sprocket chain [9 or the links thereof have formed thereon bit carriers 20 to which are detachably secured by set screws 2| bits 22. In assembling the bits 22 on the carriers it is preferable that they are grouped in staggered relation whereby certain bits incline laterally of the sprocket chain in one direction and other bits incline in an opposite direction with certain bits positioned between the inclined bits so that the bits when cutting the wall of the mining room will provide a comparatively wide cut, as shown in Figure 8, with a similar cutting action as produced by the teeth of a saw.

Each bit is constructed of a piece of stock of triangular shape in cross section, as shown in Figure 14, and has one end beveled to define a pointed cutting end 23.

The shafts ll of the cutters have secured thereto beveled pinions 24 which may be engaged and disengaged by beveled pinions 25 adjustably secured on the drive shaft 26. Bearings 28 are provided on the bed for the support of the drive shaft 26. To permit adjustment of the pinions 25 on the drive shaft they are held in their adjusted positions by removable pins 29 and the drive shaft is provided with openings to receive said pins whereby the pinions 25 may be adjusted endwise of the drive shaft to be brought into and out of engagement with the beveled gears 24.

An electric motor 39 is suitably mounted on the bed and is geared to the drive shaft and journaled on the latter is a cable drum 3| equipped with a clutch 32 for clutching and declutching thereof to the drive shaft. The clutch 32 is of the planetary gear type, as shown in Figure 10, and includes a split type band 34 which may be expanded and contracted through a hand operated lever 35 for clutching and declutching of the drum to the drive shaft. The hand lever 35 may be locked in different positions through the use of a pin 36 engageable in a series of openings provided in the bed or one of the plates thereof.

The cable drum 3| has a cable 3? thereon and the ends of said cable are adapted to be anchored in a mining room through the use of stakes or other similar fastening means for the purpose of permitting the machine to be moved with relation to a wall of the room during the cutting of the wall by either 01 both of the cutters through the use of the power source 30 by clutching the cable drum to the drive shaft 26. The bed of the device is equipped with sheaves or pulleys 38 over which the cable travels when leaving the cable drum.

The cutter heads or bars l5 are adjustably mounted on the turntables as indicated at 35 which will permit the slack in the endless sprocket chain to be readily removed.

Each cutter is equipped with a sharpening means, consisting of a bracket 40 secured on the turntable of the cutter and which rotatably supports a shaft 4| capable of a limited endwise movement and on which is secured a sharpening element 42 in the form of a drum and constructed of a suitable abrasive material. Secured to the shaft 4! is a pulley 43 over which is trained an endless belt 44. The endless belt is trained over a pulley 45 secured on the shaft If! so that when the cutter is in operation the sharpening element 42 will be rotated. A pin 46 is secured to one end of the cutting element 42 and rides a cam 41 on the bracket 49 for the purpose of establishing an endwise movement in opposite directions of the sharpening element during the rotation thereof. The bracket 40 supports the sharpening element within the path of movement of the bits so that during the travel of said bits with the endless sprocket chain they will come in wiping contact with the sharpening element and thereby receive a sharpening to the cutting ends thereof maintaining the bits in efficient cutting condition at all times.

The turntables l6 are provided with a series of openings 49 and the bed is equipped with spring influenced slidable pins 50. which may enter any one of the openings for locking the turntables against rotation and which will permit the turntables to be manually rotated for positioning the cutters in their several cutting positions or within an inoperative position disposed entirely between the plates of the bed and when in the latternamed position. will be entirely out of the way and which will. obviate any danger of miners becoming injured by falling over the cutters during non-use of the machine and also permit the machine to be moved. through comparatively small spaces.

It will be seen from the foregoing description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings that a very efiicient, portable, durable and. compact mining machine has been provided wherein the cutting operations within the walls of a mine room can be conveniently carried out at different elevations and in extremely close relation to the floor and ceiling of the room and also it is to be seen that due to the construction of the machine a cut may be made in the wall in extremely close relation to the floor of the room.

The endless cutters when adjusted for cutting operation to the front of the bed as shown in Figure 1 and due to their mounting on the bed will permit one cutter to cut a certain depth within a wall while the trailing cutter will cut to a greater depth. Also, it will be seen that whenever it is desired to make a cut in the side walls of the room the cutters may be positioned for operation at the ends of the bed.

It is believed that the foregoing description, when takeninconnection with the drawings, will fully set forth the construction and advantages of this invention to those skilled in the art to which such device relates, so that further detailed description will not be required.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A coal mining machine comprising a bed including a runner type plate for the supporting thereof on the floor of a mine room, endless type cutters carried by said bed and adjustable for operation at various angles thereto, power means for driving said cutters and carried by said bed, and means connected to an opposite face of the bed from the runner type plate for supporting the bed at various elevations with respect to the floor of the room to permit cuts to be made by the cutters at various elevations between the floor of the room and the ceiling thereof not obtainable when said runner type plate is supporting said bed.

2. A coal mining machine comprising a bed, means for supporting said bed at difierent elevations, turntables mounted on said bed, endless type cutters carried by said turntables, means for locking said turntables and which permits the cutters to be adjusted at various angular positions with respect to the bed and to be bolted within the latter, power means carried by said bed for driving the cutters, and a cable drum including means for the clutching and declutching thereof to the power means, and a cable adapted to be connected with anchors for the movement of the bed into different positions either during the time of operation of the cutters or the nonoperation thereof.

3. A coal mining machine comprising a bed, a turntable carried by said bed, locking means for said turntable, a cutter head adjustably connected to said turntable, an endless type cutter carried by said cutter head and including a series of cutting bits mounted on a sprocket chain, a sprocket gear connected with the sprocket chain, a shaft secured to the sprocket gear and forming a journal for the turntable, a power means connected to said shaft, and a sharpener driven by said shaft and lying in the path of movement of the bit.

4. A coal mining machine comprising a bed, a turntable carried by said bed, locking means for said turntable, a cutter head adjustably connected to said turntable, an endless type cutter carried by said cutter head and including a series of cutting bits mounted on a sprocket chain, a sprocket gear connected with the sprocket chain, a shaft secured to the sprocket gear and forming a journal for the turntable, a power means connected to said shaft, a bracket carried by the turntable, a sharpening element carried by said bracket for rotation and for a limited endwise movement, means for driving said sharpening element by said shaft, and means for imparting endwise movement to the sharpening element during the rotation thereof, said bracket positioning the sharpening element within the path of movement of the bits.

OLIVER T. PORTER. 

